Editorial: OR Mayor Demonstrates the Power of Taking a Stand

April 28, 2004

Source: The Oregonian

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On April 28, 2004 The Oregonian published an editorial noting, "Tuesday, the organizers of the Mayors' Prayer Breakfast of Washington County canceled the event, which had been planned for May 5. The event's demise this year is a small, and potent, demonstration of what can happen when good people refuse to participate in religious intolerance. Beaverton Mayor Rob Drake didn't intend to lead a revolution when he announced last week that he had decided not to attend the prayer breakfast. He only wanted to do the right thing after the event's organizers rescinded an invitation to a Muslim cleric to offer a prayer at the meeting. But Drake's action led to a flurry of scheduling conflicts for other elected officials from Hillsboro to Tualatin and a lot of cities in between. In announcing the cancellation, a member of the executive board of the Beaverton-Tigard Chapter of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship & Concerned Citizens cited the publicity surrounding the event. He said the publicity had made the event "divisive" for the community. The publicity? Actually, the event itself was divisive."